The Invisible Line
by RustyRiley
Summary: After Catra is broken, she begins to realise everything she's done, and what she truly wants. Adora is giving a new position of leadership, and is afraid of what to do next. Double Trouble though is loving the drama, and may have a helping hand in steering it where they want. (Takes place after S4, will be Catradora,... eventually)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody, after many months of waiting, I hath created my first story (or what I hope to be my first story) Now I would like to say before hand, that I do not consider myself a writer nor do I think i'm any good, however I would love to improve so if you read my story, I would love a review. Also I just want to give a special thanks to FortuneHost for inspiring and encouraging me to write this story, but without further adieu, hope you enjoy chapter 1 (of what I hope to be multiple)**

The wind blew with a cool breeze through the long blades of grass on the mound, and amidst its small peak sat Adora.

Her hair let loose in the gentle flow of air that almost seemed to encircle her as she gazed up toward the sky, the newly found stars illuminating like a blanket of fireflies.

"What do we do now" she mumbled to herself more than anyone, not that anyone was there to listen. "I've lost She-Ra, i've lost Glimmer, and i've lost….. Catra, whats left to lose"

Adora let out a small sigh as her gaze fell to grass her hand had been plucking at for the past couple minutes, her eyes fell shut as she reminisced about everything that had happened, and thought about what could happen.

Before she could get lost in thought a whisper carried by the wind brought her attention back to Brightmoon, still standing bright and.. moony across a portion of the whispering woods.

Her thoughts went to the people she had sworn to protect, the princess alliance and everything she had fought so hard to save. She thought about the other princesses, about Bow, about all the battles she fought, won and lost, and all the friends she made… and lost. Adora mustered up what was left of her strength and put on a determined face.

"I can't give up now, I haven't given up before and i'm not giving up now" she groaned as she forced herself to her feet, throwing the grass she had plucked back to the ground.

She let her hand sieve through her hair as she began to walk, "I can do this" she mumbled so low the she herself could barely hear it.

Within a short few minutes Adora had walked the distance to Brightmoon, making her way to the war room stopping short at the door. Behind it she could hear the panicked voices of princesses and officials alike. Taking a deep breath before entering, Adora pushed open the doors and stepped foot into the room.

Upon entering Adora was immediately bombarded with questions and statements, pleading about what to do next.

"Adora!, what do we do!"

"What was with the crazy magic shenanigans"

"Adora, whats going on!"

"Since when did the Horde have spaceships!"

Adora's head buttered from side to side, her mouth falling open searching for an answer she could not give.

All the voices went to a blur as Adora spaced out for what felt like and eternity, her mind racing a million miles an hour trying to process everything being thrown at her. She could feel her breath becoming heavy and rapid, as the fear of uncertainty began to take over, only to be quickly ushered away by Bows calming voice.

"Everyone calm down, Adora's just as in shock as we all are at the moment, so everyone just keep calm, and i'm sure we'll have a plan up and going shortly" Bow ended with a smile, trying his best to keep the masses calmed, as he himself was struggling to hold it together with everything thats happened.

After a few short moments and disgruntled grown and mumbles, the crowd of princesses went back to murmuring amongst themselves, Bow turned to Adora who now had her had hung low.

"Hey, come on now Adora, wheres that 'can do' Adora attitude"

Adora head raised to meet Bows gaze, her face giving a small smile, but her eyes showing showing only dismay.

"I don't know Bow, what do I do now, I struggled against the Horde when they were small, now they have an army in space! I don't know how to fight that, heck I couldn't even fight them when I knew everything about them, we know nothing about Horde Prime" Adora practically pleaded as looked to Bow with a mixture of fear, concern and confusion. "Now we have to deal with the Fight Zone and Horde Primes armada"

"Actually" Bow scratching the back of his head "The Fright Zones been pretty quiet, our scouts have even reported horde soldiers leaving. Apparently with Hordak gone, the Hordes falling into a kind of disarray"

"Well what about Catra, she should be able to lead them" Adora stated bluntly with tinge of pain behind her words.

"No ones seen or heard from Catra since Horde Prime arrived" Bow stated with a hint of regret behind his words. He new Catra meant a lot to Adora, and that hearing that wouldn't go down nice.

Adora would never admit it, but her heart skipped a beat as a lump of worry made its way up into her throat, stopping her from breathing. As much as it pained her to say, Adora could never stop truly caring for Catra, no matter how it hurt.

"What do you mea —" Before Adora could finish, she was interrupted by strange yet familiar voice.

"Adora, may I speak with you privately"

King Micah stood not far from Adora gesturing toward the door. He now dawned a new set of clothes, closely resembling the one in his mural, except now holding an image on its back displaying a pair of wings much like Queen Angella's .

As Adora and Micah walked down the hall, Adora couldn't keep her eyes from settling upon the image of the wings. King Micah gave a quick look over his shoulder and caught Adora's gaze.

"It's a way of remember her, keeps her close" He said slowing his step to walk beside Adora, giving her a saddened smile in the process. "I had heard about what had happened, and Bow had told what Glimmer had said to you, but I want you to know that I don't blame you, and i'm sure Glimmer doesn't either"

Adora's eyes flickered to the floor at the mention of Glimmer's name. Adora couldn't hide the fact that she somewhat blamed herself for losing Glimmer, always reminding herself that if she just hadn't been so over protective of her, and trusted her more, Glimmer would never had made such radical decision in using the heart. The more Adora thought about it, the more she could see the similarities between losing Glimmer, and losing Catra. She thought about how over protective she was of both Catra and Glimmer.

'Am I really that over protective' Adora thought to herself, given only a brief moment to think before being interrupted by Micahs rough yet kind voice.

"In here" He said opening the door to the throne room, allowing Adora to enter first, before telling the guard to not let them be interrupted.

The door shut behind them making Adora turn to face Micah who stood leaning face first against the door, his palms above his head as he looked to the floor. With small sigh and a deep breath he turned to face Adora.

"Adora, as you know Princess Glimmer is out of reach at the moment, and Queen Angella is…" His eyes drooped and he looked almost as if he would let a tear fall, before quickly regaining his stature, "unavailable, and I have spent the majority of the past years on Beast Island. I am in no condition to be a leader, much less command an army"

Adora had an odd feeling about where this was going and wasn't sure she liked it. She Began to fiddle with her fingers in anticipation of whats to come next.

"I am not asking anything of you, but I give my humblest request, that you be regent of Brightmoon in my recovering, and Glimmers absence" Micahs eyes closed shut as head tilts downward.

Adora could hardly believe what she was hearing. King Micah was wanting her to be regent of Brightmoon, A while ago this would have made Adora ecstatic, but now it only made her scared. What if she wasn't a good leader, what if she did something wrong. Her head began to feel heavy with anxiety before she quickly cut off those dangerous thoughts as she looked to Micah to give her answer.

"Alright…. I accept the position of regent, King Micah"

His eyes opened before rising his head to meet Adora's eyes. A shallow silence ensued before Micah embraced Adora in a fatherly hug. A silence fell upon the pair again before Micah let out a lowly whisper.

"Thank you, I know you'll be a good leader"

Adora couldn't see his face, but could tell he was wearing a warming smile, and that thought brought some warmth to her, as she let a thought slip into her mind. _'Everything's gonna be alright'_

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"Thank you for your allegiance child, all creatures no matter how small, have a place in the service… of Horde Prime"

Horde Prime gazed down to the two girls, his body cocked to the side of his throne with his leg cropped over the top of the other. "Your majesty, as royalty you will be treated with the utmost of respect on this ship. You need only ask and shall receive, but please, allow my clones to escort you to your room, I hope you find it… lavishing" Horde Primes hands fell together in a motion like a silent clap as his clones came to escort Glimmer out of the throne room.

Glimmer turned to leave, the clones on either side of her, and Catra made a motion to follow suite, but was stopped by the interruption of Horde Prime. "Oh not you cat, I have seen your many accomplishments in my brothers fight, and I must say… I am most impressed."

Catra turned her gaze toward Horde Prime, and couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in his presence, her body wanting nothing more than to leave. Catra's face fell into a frown, and she reminder herself again, '_This is what I wanted isn't it, praise?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted before she could give herself an answer. " I believe I may have some use for you, a new batch of clones has just be made, and they need an able bodied fighter to train on"

Horde Primes face fell to a sinister smile as the words reached catra, 'Train on'. What did that mean. Before Catra could make a protest she was grabbed from behind by two more clones, who seemingly had entered the room without being noticed. Catra tried to fight back, but they were much stronger than what she had thought, and Catra was already weak form injuries.

Catra's eyes darted form side to side as she searched for an escape, but fell wide on Horde Prime when she found none. Prime leaned forward on his chair, hands still clasped together, "Do put up a good fight, entertainment comes so scarce lately"

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**Thank you to everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed chapter 1, all reviews are much appreciated as I do look to better myself as a writer and I hope to keep you all intrigued for the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, welcome back for a second chapter, I again apologise for any spelling mistakes that may be found, though keep in mind, I do have mild autism, so if you find any mistakes, please point them out and i'll be sure to fix them. On another note, I feel the need to point out that in this story, Catra won't be her usual violent and 'evil' self we've become accustomed to in the show, but rather the broken and regretful once we saw at the end of S4. I feel like thats how S5 will start, so thats how i'm gonna right her.**

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"King Micah asked you to be regent!?" Bow was overflowing with joy, after Adora had just told him about her new position, his face alight with amazement.

"Yeah, King Micah asked me to be regent, and I said yes" Adora had looked away at the floor before answering, her voice stale and rueing what she had said. Bow quickly noticed Adora's regret in her decision.

"Adora, are you alright. I thought you'd be excited for something like this, I mean your practically leader of Brightmoon now" Bows response came quicker than Adora had hoped, leaving her stumbling for her words.

"I.. uh… yeah, i'm alright, I just.. I'm not a leader Bow, I don't know how to command an army, especially with the current state of things." Adora hands cupped her face as she dragged her cheeks down in stress "ugh, how did Glimmer do this"

"Oh come on Adora, it can't be that bad, I mean, weren't you a force captain before you left the Horde, you gotta have some leadership to do that right?"

"Well yeah, but I was a force captain for like 3 days, I hadn't commanded anything serious, plus, Catra was always the strategist in our squad" Adora thought back to her time in the Horde when her promotion was brought up, and of course that immediately made her think of Catra. Though she hasn't really stopped thinking about her since Bow said she's been missing.

Adora had spent the last couple days stressing over her new position, deciding on when to tell Bow and the others. All she could think about was, where was Catra, what to do next, how to rescue Glimmer, and why Horde Prime hadn't destroyed them yet? Adora had come to realise the burden on Glimmers shoulders, but before her train of thought could get any longer she was brought back to reality by Bows calming voice.

"Well maybe, but I think you'll make a great leader" Bow quickly added before pulling Adora into a trademarked Bow hug, immediately easing her raging her mind.

Before they could get too comfortable however, a guard came bursting into the room out of breath, huffing after every word. "Princess Adora,… Bow,…. Horde Prime is mounting an attack on the front gates,.. come quick"

Before the guard had even finished his sentence Adora had grabbed sword she had taken from the armoury earlier in the day and was readying to leave, Bow following just after. They had practically sprinted past the guard and were at the front gates by the time they could blink or say a word to each other.

Adora had gone first with Bow behind her and stood fast at bright moons entrance, ready for a fight. Within moments all the other princesses had joined alongside them, along with a few guards.

Together they stood as an impenetrable wall, ready to fight for what they believed, and ready as they were, no one was prepared for what came over the ridge line.

The small army stood just before the gate, ready for the fight of their lives. The sun began to set just behind mounds and Etheria's many moons began to rise. The sky lit up with what could only be described as a wave of fire, illuminating its once blue screen with gorgeous orange. All eyes sat on the ridge line, awaiting Horde Primes forces, and they were soon met with a shadowed silhouette of 4 figures walking in a tight formation toward them, not showing any sign of hostility.

Just four clones walked as casual as a pedestrian at the markets, though in a two by two formation, keeping something hidden in the middle. Four clones may be small, but Horde Prime was an enemy no-one was sure of, and so the princesses kept themselves readied for anything.

A heavy silence fell as the clones came to a stop not ten feet from the princesses. Each with a blank stare, not looking at them, but not behind them either, simply staring, at what no-one was sure. Neither the clones nor the princesses dared to speak until one of the clones dropped a small device onto the floor.

The device oriented itself into an upright position before becoming giving or a cool blue glow accompanied with a small hum, and began to display a hologram of Horde Prime.

"Aah, you must be the princesses, I have heard so much about you from my disgraceful brother, who I must apologise for. His actions are a stain on the Horde empire. However I am not here to discuss him, but am here for more.. diplomatic reason, a true perhaps?" Horde Prime leaned back on his chair, sharing a warm smile that brought nothing but a venomous taste to the princesses mouths.

Adora was the first to speak up, holding her sword still at the ready. "What you mean trade, what do you want from us?"

"Oh well you see, it has come to my attention that you are in possession of a weapon of great power, and seeing as you nearly destroyed yourselves with it, I thought it best to put it in safe keeping" Horde Primes attitude remained diplomatic, showing only that poisonous smile.

Adora didn't like the idea of Horde Prime getting the Heart of Etheria, but she knew it might be the only way to get Glimmer back. After all rescuing her from the Fright Zone was hard enough, how would they rescue her from Horde Primes ship.

"If you want the Heart then we want Glimmer back, where is she" Adora spoke sternly with ferocious determination, and had taken a rooted stance, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"Aah, yes, the Queen, don't you worry she is safe here. She is being given the treatment royalty deserves, the finest room and lavishing meals. I am willing give her to you in exchange for the Heart"

"How do we know you wont double cross us!" Frosta practically yelled from behind Adora, demanding an answer, as it was the questioning everyone was asking themselves.

"Oh well little one, I am nothing if not a man of my word, but if my word is not enough for you, than please take this as a token of good faith"

As if on queue, the clones separated and pushed a badly injured Catra out in front. She took a few stumbling steps forward before falling to her knees. It wasn't difficult to see her injuries as her left arm wore a sleeve of dried blood, and her once golden eye was closed shut, blackened with bruises and sealed with more dried blood. Her right arm was wrapped around her torso clutching her side and she was visibly shaking. Every breath she took looked looked painful and fresh drips of blood could be seen slipping down her left arm which supported her up as she struggled on her knees.

Adora couldn't hide her gasp or look of absolute terror from the sight before her. As much as she claimed to be Catra's enemy now, nothing could have prepared her for this. They may be enemies now, but Adora never wanted to see this, Catra on her knee's looking mere moments from death. Adora knew she need medical attention, and so let out the first coherent thought that came to her mind.

"We accept your offering, but we'll need time to think about the trade" Adora tried to keep her voice calm and diplomatic, but there was no hiding the anger she felt towards Horde Prime, an anger caught by everyone around her, even Catra, who had looked up to see the fury hiding behind Adora's eyes.

"Very well, I will leave to your ways, but I will return in a week and I ask that you have an answer ready, I don't like to be kept waiting" Horde Prime disappeared as the small device shut off, his clones picking it up before turning in unison, leaving in much the same formation that they had arrived, disappearing over the ridge line, as the sun set completely, hiding any more movements.

The princesses had broken into an uproar about what to do with the trade, practically forgetting Catra, who now tried to stand only to fall completely, ramming her shoulder into the ground with a pained hiss. Adora grabbed the closest guard she could and told them to prep the infirmary, a command which the guard promptly followed.

Before anyone had noticed Adora was by Catra's side readying to lift to her, and carry her to the infirmary. "You're not gonna like this, but I don't care" Adora spoke sternly without looking Catra in the eye, and began to lift Catra with both arms bridal style, earning a hiss of pain from her.

Catra hated the idea of being carried by Adora, but right now, she was too injured to care, or to even look at her for that matter. She just laid there with head facing away from Adora and her eyes shut, hoping to get some rest soon, which was quickly granted as she fell unconscious.

Adora began carrying Catra to the infirmary but was quickly cut off by the other princesses, who were practically scolding her about Catra.

"What are you doing Adora, she's the enemy, we should just leave her"

"Don't you remember everything she's done!?"

"She needs to pay for what she did at princess prom!"

Before Adora could take any more, she quickly blurted out, "She is dying, and we don't leave people to die. We can talk about punishment later but right now she needs medical attention"

Everyone stood silent for a brief moment before a collective agreement was heard, albeit with a bit of murmuring amongst the guards.

As Adora carried Catra through Brightmoon she came to face King Micah by a door.

"Oh no!, who's been hurt? I was told it was a diplomatic meeting?" King Micah rushed to Adora's aid before getting a glance at the injured girl. "Who's this?"

"This is Catra, i'll explain later, just… can you get the door for me" Adora quickly responded, realising she's gonna have to explain a lot to King Micah about her past, and that is not a conversation she's gonna enjoy.

King Micah opened the door and let Adora through, waiting only a few minutes while Brightmoon's doctors tended to Catra, though a bit stubbornly. Adora sat in a chair at the wall of the room, overseeing Catra's treatment, partly because she wanted to keep an eye on her, and partly because she didn't want to have to face the other princesses about any of this yet, mostly because she didn't know what she was doing yet.

After what felt like hours Adora had fallen asleep, awaking to a dimly lit room with only her, and Catra lying unconscious strapped to a hospital bed. Adora could have sworn she saw the shadows move but passed it off to post sleep haziness. She rubbed her eyes and came to realise that it wasn't just haziness, as the shadow now stood over Catra's bed.

"What the—, Get away from her!" Adora yelled grabbing the sword at her side, entering a battle stance.

"Please Adora, you mustn't let your anger control you like that" A sharp and sinister voice reached Adora's ears before the shadow turned its gaze to meet her own, enveloping her in a cold icy stare as white eyes pierced her mind.

"Shadow Weaver" Adora practically spat the words upon realising who the shadowed figure was. "Get away from her" Adora spoke with silent yet heavy tone, her eyes returning Shadow weavers stair with a powerful glare, her words seeming to sharpen her sword as she took a step forward.

"Oh Adora, isn't it strange how even after all this time, you still care for her, and it always seems to bring the two of you back together, like an invisible line drawing you both to a cliff face." Shadow Weaver spoke with a soft almost motherly tone, though ending her statement with only disgust , but Adora had come too familiar with it to let it affect her.

"So what if I still care for her, thats not a bad thing, but either way no-one deserves what you did to us as kids" Adora stared deadly knives at Shadow Weaver as she took another step forward, fearful of what might happen next.

Shadow Weaver let out a lowly sinister chuckle as she began to float to the door, " Oh Adora, you have forgotten your training so easily, affection is a weakness that will get you killed" A deathly silence fell as before she began for the door, closing it as silent as if it were never opened. Almost as if on queue, the lights in the room returned to a normal state.

Adora let out a shaky breath, glad to have that confrontation over. She walked to Catra's bedside and put a hand on its railing, letting out a deep sigh, looking onward at Catra's sleeping body, "I'm sorry Catra, for not stopping her when we were younger" Adora, sat for a moment longer, let the empty silence consume her before leaving the room, turning the lights off on her way out, though unknown to her, Catra's eyes still glowed open in the dark, staring to her side.

Catra didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do. A part of her wanted to try and escape, but another part wanted to stay, so she lay there, in the hospital bed, letting Adora's words play on repeat in her mind. She'd heard it a thousand times before, '_Im sorry_', so why did it now feel so different, maybe because Adora had finally stood up to Shadow Weaver for her, maybe because deep down, she was looking for a reason to forgive Adora, she didn't know, and frankly, she was afraid of the answer. All she did know, was that tears had begun to fall from her eyes like a slow rainfall, making its way down her cheek, and she was too tired to wipe the drops away, show she let them flow, before succumbing to her fatigue, and letting her eyes close again, ready for sleep.

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**Well my friends, hope you enjoyed this chapter, i'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can, (its gonna be a good one) All reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope to hear what everyone thinks of my writing, as I am still hoping to better myself, so any form of feedback is helpful. Have a wonderful day (or night) :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody, I am back with another chapter. Terribly sorry for long break, had a rough holidays, though with being said, Happy New Year and Merry Christmas. Bit late, I know, but better late than never. Anyway for those of you still reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I enjoyed writing it. **

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The next morning had come slower than Adora would have liked. After Shadow Weaver's little greeting the night before, Adora had found it difficult to sleep, and even when she did, all she dreamt were nightmares.

Adora slowly walked up the hallway having eaten something in the mess hall just before, praying to the first ones that the war room be empty, and not filled with a raging mass.

Turning the corner, she was thoroughly disappointed, as even with the doors shut, Adora could hear the barbaric sounds of argument erupting from the war room.

Opening the doors, she took a deep breath and let it out with a deep sigh, stepping forth into the room and preparing for the onslaught of questions and demands.

"Oh thank the first ones, Adora you're here." Bow immediately made his way to Adora the moment he saw her, looking worn out already.

"Everyones been talking, and where all pretty divided on what to do." Bow tried to explain the situation of the room, but struggled with the roar of the arguments behind him.

Adora thanked bow before making her way to the front of the room, preparing to address everyone. As she stood at the head of the table, mentally preparing, she laid her hands on its edge. "Alright, everyone quite down, and lets work together, and lay down what we know"

Adora's attempt at diplomacy had completed fell sideways as everyone in the room turned to face her, and proceeded to throw all their opinions at once.

Adora was already struggling with being leader, and she had no-idea how Glimmer could do this, but she pushed forward none the less. Though it was made much easier with Bows help.

"Please, guys, one at a time. Adora's only one person, and like she said let's lay down what we know" Bow chimed it right on time, his voice carrying a kind and calming chime behind it.

"Well, we know that Horde Prime is, like, super powerful and stuff" Mermista dropped a thought that hadn't left anyones mind.

"That doesn't mean we can't bust in and get Glimmer out!" Frosta quickly added before being immediately shut down by Entrapta.

"Actually, I've been some calculations on Horde Prime's ship and I can conclude a ninety six point five percent chance of failure at rescuing Glimmer from his ship. Though I haven't factored in the fleet surrounding his command ship so that number may vary" Entrapta quickly fell back into into her data pad, most likely doing the calculation with the fleet factored in.

Everyone in the room seem to lose a little more hope at Entrapta's addition. Adora tried to do her best to come up with something that might help, anything for that matter, but she couldn't even think. All she could think of was the thought of not getting Glimmer back. Adora somewhat blamed herself for losing her, '_if I'd just trusted her more, I wouldn't have lost her'._ The thought was a common one for Adora, even before losing Glimmer.

"So I suppose we only have one option then…" Bow's usually cheerful demeanour had been dulled by the sudden change of atmosphere.

"I suppose so… we have to accept Horde Primes trade" Adora slowly added, the words causing her to droop her shoulders lower than they already were.

The room fell into an empty silence with only the sound of the wind blowing by the window. No one dared to speak, as there was no argument to be had.

The silence dragged longer than anyone would have liked, and yet still felt cut short by Frosta.

"With that out of the way, I think it's time we talk about what to do with the prisoner" She slowly let out, trying to ease into the new subject.

With one sentence almost everyone in the room shot up, including one of the guards standing by the door. Adora knew this would be coming, but she still wished it hadn't.

"I say she deserves punishment, imprisonment is too nice for her" Frosta added on, with hint of distaste in her words.

"What kind of punishment did you have in mind" Perfuma quickly continued with clear worry in her voice.

"Well if you ask me…" Frosta paused with a clear hesitation in her words, "execution"

The room imploded with a gasp of horror from everyone, though Adora could only stare in shock, with her mouth agape, her mind barely even being able to comprehend what she'd just heard.

Everyone began to speak all at once. Though Adora struggled to make out any one statement, she managed to catch a few words like 'its what she deserves', and 'It's what she'd do to us'

Adora struggled to come up with a radical thought as everything seem to hit her at once. She's supposed to be Catra's enemy, she's supposed to hate her, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to want to hurt her. She couldn't bring herself to let others hurt her, when she has the power to stop them.

Before things could get worse, Adora stood up and began addressing everyone, more assertive than before.

"Everyone quiet down. No-one is going to be executed, Catra will be put into imprisonment until we come to a collective decision."

"Why shouldn't she be executed, you of all people know what she's done to us, what she's done to you!" The statement seem to come from no-where, and yet a majority seem to nod their heads in agreement.

Adora stumbled over her words, trying to come up with a good reason. "Well.. Its… She could have information on Horde Prime"

Adora blurted out the first goodish idea that came to mind, and it seemed to have worked as the room fell to a silent, albeit stubborn agreement, with a few sighs escaping from the crowd of princesses.

As everyone went back to their own conversations and arguments, Adora slumped back into a chair at the side of the room, quickly being joined by Bow.

"Good job Adora, you spoke like a true leader back there" Bow quickly chimed with his usual cheerful attitude.

"I think I just made things worse, what if she doesn't have information" Adora slumped down in her chair, thinking the worst.

"Well, that's a possibility, but what if she does? Maybe you should go ask her, talk to her and see if you can get any information"

Adora sat for a moment considering Bows proposal, before giving her poor excuse" She wouldn't wanna talk to me anyway, she hates me"

"Well you're going to have to talk to her, they're gonna be expecting some information on Horde Prime, so it's probably best you talk to her soon."

Adora dropped her head, taking a moment to stare at the floor, before picking it back up again. "Why are you so fine with me letting Catra live, shouldn't you hate her"

Bow slipped his hand up behind his head, scratching nervously. "Well, yeah, I don't exactly like her, but its obvious you care for her, and I don't want you to do something you'll regret. But I have to ask Adora, why do you care for her so much?"

Adora sat back up, taking a minute to think of an answer, but couldn't come to one. "Next time Bow, I need to go see if she's awake" Adora realised she had never really given an explanation to why she cared so much for Catra, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn't quite know either.

Adora stood up to leave, but before she could take a step Bow quickly let on a new statement.

"Oh, wait, before you go i've been meaning to tell you. Scouts have been reporting activity in the fright zone. From what I've been told, it looks like they're preparing for an attack"

As if the weight on Adora's shoulders couldn't get any heavier, now she had to deal with the fright zone again, the only question was, who was leading them?

Adora let loose a small groan of displeasure before looking back to Bow. "Thanks bow, keep on scouting and give me any updates ok" With that Adora left the room, though noticing that the guard by the door was now no-where to be found.

Though Adora's walk though the castle went uninterrupted, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, though whenever she would look, she would only see a guard turning a corner, or a small animal scarring along the walls.

When Adora finally made her way to the infirmary, she was met with Catra in the same bed she was in before, though sitting upright this time. She was still asleep, or drugged, Adora couldn't tell the difference. The doctor was scribbling something on a note pad before noticing Adora walk in.

"Oh good, you're here. We have the complete diagnosis for the prisoner" The doctor walked with Adora to Catra's bedside, bringing the notepad up to read.

"She's suffered severe lacerations along her left arm, and several broken ribs along the left side of her torso. Both her legs were severally weakened with bruising, most likely from repeating blunt attacks, and she had a severe concussion, which is why she is still unconscious at the moment. She's lost a lot of blood due to internal bleeding, though we've treated it the best we can and stopped the bleeding."

The doctor flipped the page on the notepad, letting Adora get a glimpse at what was on it, revealing it to only contain one thing. Adora was already light headed from everything she'd heard, and was marvelled by the fact that only one thing remained.

"We discovered a mild scar on her lower abdomen. It looks as if it was from a recent surgery, though where not sure as to what the surgery was for"

Adora looked over to Catra and attempted to see the scar, but it was covered by one of the many bandages covering her body.

The doctor continued on, sensing Adora's discomfort. She placed a hand on Adora's shoulder. "She'll be fine, she just needs time to heal. Though she is in a stable condition, and should be fit to move to a cell by the end of the day." With that the doctor began for the door, leaving Adora alone again, with an unconscious Catra.

'_This is happening way to often'_ Adora thought to herself, sitting down on a chair next to Catra's bed. She let out a deep sigh, letting her head drop down a little. Adora didn't what she was doing, sitting down next to her supposed rival, wanting nothing more than to just see her wake. "I know you can't hear me right now, but if you can… please, I need you to tell me something, anything, about Horde Primes ship."

Adora sat quietly by the bed, before a low murmur rumbled beside her head. She quickly looked up and met Catra's golden and blue eye. Their eyes locked for a mere second before both looking away.

Adora cleared her throat before continuing. "Catra..., I need you tell me anything you might know about Horde Prime, please" Adora practically pleaded with Catra, begging for something to keep her alive.

Catra only looked further away, trying her best to hide from Adora, to hide her emotions from her, but there was no hiding anything anymore. She was broken, she'd given up.

Adora could see the pained guilt in her eyes before she rolled away, facing the wall. Resting a hand on the bed rail, she repeated herself "Please Catra, I need something" Adora pleaded more and more, leaning forward on her chair, as if being closer to Catra would make things better.

She got only silence in response. Adora looked to floor, letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine, don't tell me anything." Adora was hurt, though she didn't know why, she should be used to Catra ignoring her by now. She got up and was about to head for the door, before being stopped by a hand grabbing hers.

"Wait…" Catra's voice was broken and raspy, and yet still made Adora happy to hear. Maybe because it meant Catra was alive, or maybe because this was the first time she hadn't sounded angry.

"His clones, they have a weakness. They all have a control chip in the back of their neck. If you hit it hard enough you can bring them down" Catra still looked away, her eyes facing the floor, but her hand still holding on. Adora gave a warm smile, not missed by Catra, before giving a warming thank you.

Adora was the first to let go, walking to the door, though stopping to turn, meeting Catra's eyes again, giving her one last warm, and grateful smile before leaving.

Though Catra didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but seeing Adora smile, knowing she made her smile, gave her a little hope. Like a tiny spark, so small it could go easily missed, had ignited a flame in the deepest reaches of her heart. Though small, it still warmed her like no other.

* * *

_Somewhere else in the Castle_

King Micah had been spending most of his time in the library, learning of everything that has happened in his absence.

As he was reading a book on the recent events of She-ra, the lights around him dulled to a broken darkness.

King Micah looked up and began searching around for a reason, though the lights seemed to only get darker.

A sharp voice pierced through Micahs mind, a feeling all too familiar, and arousing memories from a shadowed point of his past.

"Micah, my my, how you have grown"

King Micah quickly spun to find Shadow Weaver picking a book from a shelf, whilst returning another. "What do you want you wretch"

"Do not mind me, I am simply returning a book, and finding a new one to read…"

King Micah had known of Shadow Weavers manipulations before, and he knew of her methods. Expecting some ominous remark, he repeated himself. "What do you want"

"hmm, you know me to well Micah, but let me ask you this, do you know who is responsible for you daughters capture… and your wife's death" Shadow weaver let the words slip off her tongue as if were silk to her, putting emphasis on 'death'.

Micahs eyes shot wide open, before succumbing to an angered glare, "What do you mean" His voice was shaky and clearly scared to hear an answer.

"Well she is in this castle… and she is being treated far too kindly if I might add"

"Who! who is it, tell me!" Micah was desperate for an answer now. Though he knew of Shadow Weavers manipulation, he wanted an answer for who caused his family to be torn apart.

Shadow Weaver stood silently for a moment, looking onwardly toward her book, before turning her gaze back to Micah.

"Catra… the girl Adora carried in yesterday, she is the one responsible for everything"

* * *

Catra had been taken down a prison cell later in the afternoon, after being given more time to recover. The cell was rather nice compared to the fright zones. The room was large and consisted of a desk, a barred window, a bed more comfortable than her fright zone bed, and small bathroom, with a small privacy wall of course, though no way of escape from inside. All in all, it was probably better than her Force Captains quarters.

Catra sat down on her bed, letting the reality of everything set in. She was trapped in a Brightmoon prison cell, she didn't really want to escape, and though she loathed admitting it to herself, she was being overwhelmed with guilt.

Catra had been denying everything to herself, her pain, her guilt, and her wants and needs. Catra knew what she wanted, but refused to admit it, that was, until Double Trouble saw through her. Now there was no hiding from herself, everytime she closed her eyes, the truth stood tall to her. As much as she could lie to herself, the truth will always be the truth, and she had to face reality head on, she had to face the consequences of everything she'd done, and try to repair the damage she'd caused.

Catra went to lay down on her side but stopped at the sound of an approaching footsteps. Instead, she opted to sit up on the side of her bed again, watching as a guard came to a stop at the cell door.

The guard didn't say a word, and only seemed to watch for a few moments before Catra got agitated. "What, you come to gloat or something" Though her words were harsh, there wasn't much power put behind them, not anymore.

The guard didn't say a word, but just kept staring with a smirk, before tilting their head and resting their hand under their chin in an all too familiar gesture.

"Oh kitten, if you want Adora to forgive you, you're going to have to play nicer than that"

* * *

**MMMM, so lil ol Double Trouble has shown up, wonder what they're gonna do huh, well stay tuned, i'll try and get the next chapter up soon. Though before you go I feel I should clarify a few things, one being Scorpia, and yes, she will be in the story, though she isn't at Brightmoon. She'll be showing up at a later date, with what I hope to be a twist, so stayed tuned. Another thing I feel the need to clarify is with Shadow Weaver, in my story she has magic, but she is separated from the black garnet. From the show I think she could use Mystacor with the plants in her garden to simulate the magic of the black garnet, though not nearly as powerful. So she can do things like float and shadow around the place, along with other things that will be shown in future chapters (hehe, foreshadowing) Anyways though, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, all reviews are greatly appreciated, and again all feedback is welcome, as I still hope to become a better writer. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay, new chapter, i'm not dead! Sorry for the long wait, been having a rough couple of weeks and experienced some writers block. Though I deeply enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Also I just wanna say thank you to all of you who have favourited this story, it means a lot to know that people want read more. But anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

"What do you want" Catra scoffed

"Ohh, nothing in particular, I just thought you could use a little company" Double Trouble's voice brought nothing but distaste to Catra. The memories of everything they had done to her flooding back. She couldn't believe that she had actually thought they were her friend, that she could depend on them.

"Oh, so you just thought I could use a little company when you stole everything from me"

Catra tried to stand but quickly fell back to her bed. Her injuries were healing quickly with bright-moons medicine, but not enough for her to start a fight on her first night. Instead she opted to sit, and glare fuelled by rage, a rage that felt oddly familiar. Catra had only known this feeling of anger and resentment toward Adora, though now she didn't know how she felt, but she knew how she felt about Double Trouble, and that was to feel nothing more than their neck snap in her hands.

"Darling, I didn't steal anything from you, if anything I've given you something back" Double Trouble transformed back to their preferred state, and stood with a wild smirk.

"Really, and what would that be, what could you have possibly given me by stealing everything I had worked for, and leaving me in the hands of.. Adora" Catra struggled to get out her sentence, hesitant in saying Adora's name. Catra didn't know how she felt toward Adora anymore, after everything she had done, Adora had actually seemed relieved when she saw Catra in the infirmary. Adora had saved Catra's life, and she didn't know how she felt about that. On the one hand, she was angry that Adora had to play the hero, AGAIN!, but on the other, Adora had saved her, after everything, and before she had fallen unconscious, she could hear Adora defending her. Now amidst whatever was left of her anger, Catra could feel guilt.

"Well kitten… I've given you a second chance" Double Trouble stood silent for a moment, simply smiling with an almost calming smile. Catra didn't know how to respond, but before she could open her mouth, they spoke up.

"I've given you a second chance to make things right, because you and I both know… the Horde was never what you really wanted." Double Trouble echoed their own words from the fright zone.

"And how would you know what I want" Catra spoke soft, as if afraid of the answer of her own question. Not just the answer Double Trouble would give, but the answer Catra would give herself.

"Honestly darling, you can lie to me as much you want, but you really shouldn't lie to yourself… especially now that you have a chance to apologise" Catra's eyes shot open and stood at attention. Her mouth opened as if to speak but said nothing. Though for a moment shocked, Catra quickly reinstated her usual self.

"You don't know me, you don't know what I want, and you don't get to decide who I should apologise too!" Catra yelled standing up, her eyes beginning to sting, and slowly took a step toward the door, though barely making another before collapsing to floor. She stopped herself with both arms, a searing pain shooting up to her head as she rested on her forearms. Catra hated Double Trouble, not for what they did, but for what they made her realise. She sat there on the floor, letting her tears flood the ground in front of her. She didn't care anymore, she didn't care about fighting anymore, she had already lost everything she had fought so hard for, not that it mattered in the first place. Because deep down, Catra knew that from the moment she began, she already lost. She lost the moment she turn her back on Adora. Even throughout the fighting, Adora had still held hope for her, hope that she would make the right choice. But she had to pull that stupid lever, and now she lost Adora for good.

Catra hadn't noticed, but Double Trouble had shifted into something smaller and scurried into her cell, apparently to help her back up. Catra stood slowly, resting her wait on Double Troubles arm, and coming to a stop sitting on her bed. She was still angry, but now she didn't know what at, herself maybe? Neither spoke for what felt like minutes, before Catra finally spoke up.

"Whats the point of apologising anyway, she wouldn't forgive me, not after everything I've done"

Catra's voice was soft and broken again. She turned her head away, trying to hide herself.

"Well you should at least try, and besides, from how Adora defended you earlier, I don't think she's ready to give up on you, just yet" Double Trouble sat down on the bed beside Catra, with a knowing smirk on their face.

"Yeah, I know. I heard her when she carried me in" Catra turned her head to the floor, unconvinced there was any way of coming back from her mistakes.

"Oh I'm talking about when she carried you in. I'm talking about in the war room, earlier this morning. She really does care for you"

Catra's ears perked up, and her head shot toward DT. "Wait, you were in the war room, spying."

Double Trouble smiled devilishly before transforming into something smaller, disappearing before Catra could pinpoint them, appearing again on the other side of the door. Catra spoke up again, in an almost pleading voice, though she refused to beg.

"Wait, can you.. could you maybe do a little more spying for me… on Adora"

Though Catra didn't say any information in particular, Double Trouble knew what she wanted to know. "I could do that.. for a price"

Catra shut her mouth, trying to think of an answer.

"Oh please darling, I'm just playing. The drama between you and Adora is payment enough" They chuckled.

Catra gave a thankful smile looking at the floor again, caught up in a thought, before looking back at the door, though not making eye contact. "Thank you" she mumbled, though loud enough for DT to hear.

Double Trouble smiled warmly in return, knowing how rare it is for her to say those words. "Your welcome" They said sincerely, before disappearing down the hall.

Catra fell back into her bed, starting to think about what Double Trouble had said. '_Are they right, do I really want Adora's forgiveness' _Catra thought for a few moments, thinking about what she really wanted, before deciding to she was too tired to think, instead closing her eyes, and resting her head. Before she knew it, she was reminiscing about Adora, about how they'd grown up together, about how she would always be there for her, about how her eyes would shine blue like the sky, about how her warmth made falling asleep easy, and 'Ugh'. Catra scoffed to herself, she shouldn't be reminiscing about Adora, even 'if' she wanted forgiveness, she shouldn't be getting her hopes up like that.

Catra turned for a few moments trying to find a conformable sleeping position, before opening her eyes and feeling just how comfortable the bed really was. "Damn princesses, even their prisons have to be nice" She mumbled to herself, before finally laying down, and getting some much needed rest.

* * *

Adora sat in her room, alone on the bed, tending to her new found duty of sharpening her sword. She had never realised you actually had to sharpen swords that weren't magic, but at least it gave her time to think.

Adora had spent a lot of time doing that lately, thinking. She wasn't sure if what they were doing was right, trading the heart for Glimmer. Yeah she loved glimmer like a sister, but the heart was a weapon that no-one should wield, least of all Horde Prime. She didn't know what to do anymore, she wanted to save Glimmer, but if the cost of that is handing the most powerful weapon anyone has ever known over to a genocidal dictator, she wasn't so sure that was a good idea.

Adora had been sitting cross legged on her bed for near an hour, thinking and sharpening. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Seven more days… we still have seven days to come up with a new plan"

She decided she had spent enough time worrying about that today, and instead laid back on her bed. She stared at the ceiling absentmindedly before reaching across to her dresser, opening the top draw and rummaging around for a few seconds. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, bringing it up to her face and reading the first words. '_Dear Catra…'_

Adora skimmed through the rest of the letter, reading what she had written not so long ago.

'_You are my enemy now, and you always will be…' _

The first line immediately made Adora's eyes start to sting.

'_I have no more hope now…'_

She wasn't sure of why she started to read the letter, maybe it was because of Catra being in the castle, or maybe she was having second thoughts.

'_and I will always miss you… your smile… the gleam in your eye… I even miss your snoring in the bunk above me…'_

Every word read made another tear slip down Adora's cheek.

'_Im sorry things ended up like this… But even if we could go back in time, I wouldn't do things any other way'_

Adora thought on the last line for a moment, '_I would've brought you with me, I should have'_ Adora was hesitant to finish the note, her eyes fearful of reading the last words. Each passing moments made her eyes glance down a little further, desperate to finish the note.

'_Love, Adora'_

Adora had spent the last few weeks hating Catra, she really had lost all hope that she could be better, but after seeing her today, seeing how hurt and vulnerable she was, all she felt was sorry, and pained at seeing Catra this way. All she wanted was to wrap her arms around her, and tell her things will be alright, like how they used to do in the Fright zone.

She wiped her tears and folded the paper gently, putting it back into its place in the drawer. She brought herself to comfortable position and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep. As she drifted off her thoughts kept coming back to Catra, as if some unseen thread kept dragging her thoughts back. She was still angry at Catra, for everything she had done, but no matter how hard she tried, Adora couldn't make herself hate her.

A knock at the door made Adora's eyes shoot open, a moment later giving an annoyed groan at the intrusion.

As she sat up, though she was drowsy, she could have sworn she saw the shadows retreat into the corners, disappearing behind a crimson curtain. Adora slowly reached for her sword, not letting her eyes travel from the corner.

She wrapped her hand around the swords grip as another knock made her look to the door, though quickly looking back to the corner, finding it to be empty, the shadows normal, and the curtain blowing in the breeze, the moonlight shining off its purple weaves.

Adora thought for a moment, '_wait, __wasn't that crimson before…'_

A third knock made Adora stand up, dismissing the matter and make for the door, opening it to find a guard standing at attention.

"Apologies for the intrusion ma'm, but King Micah has requested your audience"

Adora took a moment to wipe her eyes, still trying to get out of sleep mode. "Can't he wait until morning? It's pretty late for any meetings"

"I must insist ma'm, he said it was urgent, a matter that needs attending now. He is waiting for you in the library"

"Alright, thank you" Adora yawned, making her way past the guard. She knew that something that couldn't wait until morning had to be urgent, so she forced away any need for sleep and brushed her hair back as she made her way down the hall to the library.

Walking in she found King Micah hunched over a table in the middle of the room, a single lamp illuminating a book he was reading.

"Uh, King Micah, you wanted to see me"

Micah quickly raised his head and turned to Adora, who now was walking slowly to table. "Adora, good you're here, thank you for coming so late, I know you must be wanting some sleep. Please have a seat." Micah motioned to a chair opposite him on the table.

"Its alright, if somethings urgent it shouldn't wait until morning" Adora walked around the table and pulled a chair out, sitting down facing Micah. "So what is it you wanted to tell me"

"Actually I wanted you to tell me something…" Micah closed his book, giving all his attention to Adora, in a much more serious fashion than she was used to from him. King Micah's eyes locked to Adora's before he spoke. "Who is Catra?"

Adora gulped and her eyes went wide. She wasn't prepared for this question, she wasn't prepared for any of this. She fiddled with her fingers searching for an answer. "Uh… Catra is… she's… uh… she was the commander of the Horde" Adora spat out, stuttering on almost every word. She wasn't sure of how to answer this, mostly because she wasn't sure why she was still trying to protect Catra, she was her enemy now, right?

"So it's true then, she is the one responsible for opening the portal. She's the one lost my Angella, and Glimmer.." Micah spoke with an angry and shaky breath, as if struggling to breath knowing the one responsible for his pain was in the very same building as him.

'Wait, no there's more to it than that.." Adora didn't know what she was doing, defending Catra, again. She was responsible for opening the portal, she was responsible for almost every bit of chaos that had laid waste to Etheria these past months, and yet Adora still felt the need to protect her.

"More.. what more has she done"

"Well… there's a lot more to it than that, Catra and I grew up together" Adora starting to think about what she could say, about what she could do, but she couldn't think of any way to escape this now.

"Adora… I think its time you told me your story" Micah's expression softened a bit, though it still wore a stern look.

Adora looked to the table, thinking of an excuse, but there was no getting away from this now. "I.. ok" Adora rested her hands on the table, beginning her story. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and opened her mouth. "I grew up in the fright zone, as a Horde cadet…"

Adore explained everything and told her story to Micah. Explaining how she had come across the sword of She-Ra, how she had become friends with Glimmer and Bow, how she had grown up in the Fright Zone as a cadet, before deserting, and how she and Catra had grown up together, fought together, and done, well, everything together. Until now at least. As she told her story, she couldn't help but think about Catra, about the times they were together in the Fright Zone, about all the times they fought each other in this stupid war, and about her in the infirmary, barely alive. How seeing her so injured and vulnerable made Adora so angry, and so sorrowful. She couldn't stop thinking about when Catra grabbed her hand, how the desperation in her voice had repeated in her mind since.

By the time Adora had finished, the moon sat high in the sky, and the rest of the castle had long since been asleep. King Micah rested his hand against his head, rubbing back and forth though his hair. He breathed slow and deep, not fully knowing what to say. Shadow Weaver had told him the truth, Catra opened the portal, and lost his wife, but a younger part of him understood her anger, her pain. He thought for a moment, about how Adora spoke so fondly of her, and decided that the silence had dragged on too long.

"So this Catra, she clearly means a-lot to you, am I correct"

Adora sat dumbstruck for a moment, not realising the question at first. "Ye.. yes, Catra means a-lot to me"

"Then I will leave her in your care" King Micah stood up, pushing his chair back in. He turned without saying another word, and began to make his way across the room to the door before stoping and turning back to Adora. "..and I would recommend keeping an eye on her. If Light Spinner treated her like that in the past, she won't stop now"

With that, King Micah left the room, leaving Adora alone at the table, staring blankly at the book on its top. She turned the cover to read its title, '_Tethered Hearts'_ Strangely enough she felt the need to read the book. She picked it up and placed it under her arm, before turning off the desk lamp and making for her own room.

The castle was ominously quite putting Adora on edge. She walked the halls listening to the sound of her own heart, and how it matched the sound of her footsteps echoing off the walls. She turned the corner toward the final stretch leading to her bedroom. A small glance down the hall next to her caught her attention on a crimson figure making its way down, in a silent fashion.

"Shadow Weaver, what are you doing" She demanded, startling the crimson sheet.

Shadow Weaver turned around, obviously not expected Adora to be awake so late. "Adora, you really shouldn't be awake this late, strange things lurk in the night.."

"What are you doing" Adora repeated, getting more and more frustrated at every encounter with her, and her ceaseless attempts to change the subject from her.

"I was simply making my way to my room, or am not allowed to sleep anymore"

"Your room is that way" Adora pointed to the hall behind her, which led to the greenhouse and a small bedroom just before it, belonging to Shadow Weaver. "That hall leads to the prison cells"

"My mistake, I will be sure to remember for next time" Shadow Weaver made her way back up the hall, passing Adora with a cold aura and making her way toward her room.

Adora let out a sigh of relief and continued down the hall, reaching her bedroom.

She placed the book on her dresser, and collapsed back into her bed. She groaned into her pillow before sliding under the covers, and calling it for the night. She let her last thoughts fall to Catra, and how she missed her, more than she could say, before steadying her breaths, and letting sleep embrace her.

* * *

**And with that my friends we reach the end of chapter 4. I'll try and get chapter 5 out quicker than this one, but we'll see how things go. Remember to stay tuned because I have much more planned for this story and I can't wait to write it. Apologise for any spelling mistakes that I may have missed, but I have gone through and proof read the chapter multiple times, so it should be good... I hope. But anyways folks, have a wonderful day or night, and stay tuned for more. :)**


	5. Hiatus

Hello to anyone still waiting on this story. I know its been several months since I updated it and I feel bad just leaving as it is. So I feel like I should come out and say that as much as I love this story and want to continue and finish it, I can't bring myself to do it. 2020 as everyone would know has been a tough year for us all, myself included. This year has been tough me as I've been working a-lot more than I could really handle in order to buy a car and prepare for university, as-well as studying for my final years HSC exams. As-well as other personal life matters that I should probably see a counsellor about its all just taken it out of me. So I've been having a hard time finding the motivation to write, read or pretty much anything, hell I've even stopped doing art.

Though I hope to continue this story, hopefully sometime soon after my exams, I will be putting it on hold for the inevitable future. Thank you to everyone who left reviews, they make me smile every time I read them and thank you to everyone that followed. Stay safe everyone and I'm wishing you all well.


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